125 



entire alluvial part, however, to judge from the nature of the 

 soil and its position along the rivers, appears capable of being 

 cultivated, and even profitably cultivated, for a considerable 

 part. 



The Juba, as well as the Scebeli, is capable of supplying an 

 immense quantity of water for irrigation. The average volume 

 of the water of the Juba when at its height and in its middle 

 course was found, by Engineer Fano, to be more than 600 

 cubic metres per second. 1 This volume is somewhat reduced 

 farther down, by reason of the inundations to which it gives 

 rise on the Anole-Margherita section, where its bed is on the 

 incline. 



The volume of the water of the Uebi Scebeli when at its 

 height at Afgoi was also estimated by Engineer Fano to be 

 270 cubic metres per second, and, farther down, this volume 

 also tends to diminish by reason of evaporation and in- 

 filtrations. 



At the present time exact investigations with respect to the 

 system of the two rivers are being carried out, with a view to 

 organizing a regular use of their waters for purposes of 

 irrigation. 



Very large herds of cattle graze over all the districts where 

 there is prairie vegetation, and these are watered partly in the 

 rivers and partly at wells. The calcareous mass is, in fact, 

 soaked through with water by reason of its fissures. The water 

 at the base makes its appearance in various artificial wells, 

 dug by the natives in the limestone, and, in some parts, also 

 issues from the surface of the soil, thus forming real springs 

 (El Chonidut, etc.). Where the calcareous bed is cut through, 

 forming walls of rock, springs are also to be found, the largest 

 of which is that of Baidoa; this also forms a small waterfall 

 which can be utilized for the generation of power. The region 

 of crystalline rock has no perennial wells, probably by reason 

 of the sandy layer covering the rocky subsoil, which layer is 

 permeable and very unstable and chokes up the ordinary native 

 wells; it must, however, give rise, at its base, to an irregular 

 water-bearing layer. 



Some of the alluvial valleys of the interior, although without 

 surface water, have an underground current at no very great 

 depth (wells of Ureghei, Hekna, etc.). 



In the outer region, the alluvial and argillaceous zone is 

 generally poor in subterranean waters, except in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of the rivers; on the other hand, there exists 

 a nearly continuous strip of water, generally somewhat salty, 



1 Fano R. On the water system in our Colonies (Italian Somaliland). 

 Second Congress of Italians Abroad. Italian Colonial Institute, 

 Rome, 1911. 



